A Friend in Need
by Emerlyn452
Summary: Alyson has been experiencing strange dreams since she was a child making her no stranger to odd occurrences. So when her childhood friend Eragon becomes a dragon rider what else is she to do but join him on an incredible adventure and try and keep them both out of trouble. (possible romance, not sure yet)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: this prologue is from the first inheritance cycle book and belongs entirely to the author, changes where not required to adapt to my story so this is very close to the original all characters apart from my OC belong to the author**

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Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world. A tall Shade lifted his head and sniffed the air. He looked human except for his crimson hair and maroon eyes.

He blinked in surprise. The message had been correct: they were here. Or was it a trap? He weighed the odds, then said icily, "Spread out, hide behind trees and bushes. Stop whoever is coming…or die."

Around him shuffled twelve Urgals with short swords and round iron shields painted with black symbols. They resembled men with bowed legs and thick, brutish arms made for crushing. A pair of twisted horns grew above their ears. The monsters hurried into the bush, grunting as they hid. Soon the rustling quieted and the forest was silent again.

The shade peered around a thick tree and looked up the trail. It was too dark for any human to see, but for him the faint moonlight was like sunshine streaming between the trees. He remained unnaturally quiet, a long pale sword in his hand. A wire-thin scratch curved down the blade. The weapon was thin enough to slip between a pair of ribs, yet stout enough to hack through the hardest armour.

The Urgals could not see as well as the Shade; they groped like blind beggars, fumbling with their weapons. An owl screeched. No one relaxed until the bird flew past. Then the monsters shivered in the cold night; one snapped a twig with his heavy boot. The Shade hissed in anger, and the Urgals shrank back, motionless. He suppressed his distaste – they smelled like fetid meat. They were tools nothing more.

The Shade forced back his impatience as the minutes became hours. The scent must have wafted far ahead of its owners. He did not let the Urgals get up or warm themselves. He denied himself those luxuries too, and stayed behind the tree, watching the trail.

Another gust of wind rushed through the forest. The smell was stronger this time. Excited, he lifted a thin lip in a snarl.

"Get ready," he whispered, his whole body vibrating. It had taken to many plots and much pain to bring himself to this moment. It would not do to lose control now.

Eyes brightened under the Urgals' thick brows, and the creatures gripped their weapons tighter. Ahead of them, the Shade heard a clink as something hard struck a loose stone. Faint smudges emerged from the darkness and advanced down the trail.

Three horses with riders with their heads held high and proud cantered towards the ambush.

The first rider was an elf with pointed ears and slanted eyebrows. His build was slim and strong. A powerful bow was slung on his back and a sword pressed against his side opposite his quiver of arrows.

The last rider had the same fair face as the other. He carried a spear in his right hand and a knife in his belt. A helm of extraordinary craftsmanship rested on his head.

Between these two rode a raven-haired elven lady, who surveyed her surroundings with poise. Her deep eyes shone with a driving force. Her clothes were unadorned, yet her beauty was undiminished. At her side was a sword and on her back a bow and quiver. She carried in her lap a pouch which she frequently looked at, as if to assure herself that it was still there.

They passed the Shade and the first few Urgals without suspicion, when the wind suddenly changed direction and swept towards the elves heavy with the Urgals stench. The horses snorted with alarm and the riders stiffened, then wheeled their mounts and galloped away.

The lady's horse surged forward. The Urgals now stood and released a stream of arrows. The Shade jumped out from behind the tree, raised his hand and shouted "Garjzla!"

A red bolt flashed toward the elven lady and struck her steed. As the horse toppled she leapt off the animal with inhuman speed and then glanced back for her guards.

The Urgals deadly arrows brought down the two elves. As they rushed forward the Shade screamed "After her! She is the one I want!" the monsters grunted and rushed down the trail.

When the elf saw her dead companions she cursed her enemies and bounded into the forest.

As the Urgals gave chase, the Shade climbed a rock to view the surrounding forest. He raised his hand and uttered "Boetq istralri" creating a ring of fire a half-league across to prevent the elf from running too far.

Three of the Urgals fell drawing the attention of the Shade. The elf was running towards him. He jumped and landed in front of the elf. She skidded to a stop. Her head whipped around trying to find a way out and seeing none.

As the Urgals surged forward, the elf pulled open the pouch, reached into it, and then let it drop to the ground. In her hands was a large sapphire stone. She raised he hand above her head, lips forming frantic words. Desperate, the Shade barked "Garjzla!"

But it was too late. A flash of emerald light briefly illuminated the forest, and the stone vanished. Then the red fire of the Shade's spell smote her and she collapsed.

The Shade howled with rage and in his anger killed the remaining Urgals.

He confirmed the stone was gone, then retrieved his horse from its hiding place among the trees. After tying the elf to the saddle he mounted the charger and made his way out of the forest.

He quenched the fires in his path but left the rest to burn.


	2. Chapter 2 Strange Dreams

**Disclaimer: The story of Eragon and all characters belong to the author (Christopher Paolini) the only character I own is my OC, Alyson.**

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Alyson awoke with a start, at sixteen she was not a stranger to peculiar dreams for she had, had them all her life. But this one felt different, while the dream was already fading and becoming unclear the image of the fiery haired man standing over the beautiful elven woman flashed in front of her eyes with stark clarity. Alyson stood and moved to her window feeling the nights cold air, as her night gown did little to keep out the chill.

Alyson pushed from her eyes some of the dark hair that had fallen from her braid, from her window her keen grey eyes could see the great expanse of mountains known as the Spine illuminated by the moon. She imagined that she could see the place where her friend Eragon was for she knew that a few days prior he had gone off to hunt and unlike so many he had no fear of the Spine.

While she understood that Eragon needed to provide food for his family, especially with winter drawing closer she still dearly wished that he was here with her. For Eragon was the only person with whom Alyson felt comfortable talking about her dreams with, he was the only one who didn't seem afraid. She had come to the town of Carvahall as a young girl after the death of her parents to live with her uncle Morn's family. As a child she hadn't known that her dreams were strange and so she would speak about them, tell people about upcoming snowfall or visits from outsiders. Her Uncle had been adamant that she stop and eventually she did, becoming wary of the dark and suspicions looks the towns people would give her. Like everyone in Carvahall she was taught to hate the empire and fear magic and by extension, herself. Her only solace coming in the form of her childhood friend.

As children Eragon had found her dreams intriguing and liked to pretend that Alyson was a powerful sorceress during their games. As they grew older both realised a much more practical use for Alyson's dreams and it reassured her that both she and Eragon knew that he would never be trapped in the Spine during a storm or that she could always send word to Garrow's house about the arrival of the traders.

Alyson knew that Eragon would never shun her for her dreams, he would always listened and that was why in that moment she wished he was there with her. This was by far the oddest dream she'd ever had; never before had she dreamed of beings of other races in fact, never before had she even seen an illustration of an elf. The dream also brought with it a strong feeling of uncertainty as if it was the start of some great change but what that change was Alyson had no idea. She knew that Eragon would have no more answers then she did but at least he would have listened to her.

Refocussing he attention on the mountains she sent a whispered prayer to whoever might be listening "Hurry back Eragon, something big is about to happen and I don't know what just please stay safe."

As Alyson moved to return to bed movement caught her eye and she saw someone rushing away through the town's streets. She thought it might be Brom the village storyteller but Brom was an old man and she didn't think he would be out so late. Realising she would have no answers tonight Alyson finally settled back down to sleep knowing her Uncle expected her to help tomorrow in the tavern.

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 **Please review,if you like it let me know and I'll keep writing, if you spot any spelling or grammar mistakes let me know I appreciate any constructive criticism as I'm always looking to improve.**


	3. Chapter 3 Duty as a Friend

**Disclaimer: The story of Eragon and all characters belong to the author (Christopher Paolini) the only character I own is my OC, Alyson.**

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Two days and two nights had passed since Alyson's dream and the face of the dark creatures still haunted her. But Alyson was a practical person and knew that brooding over these thoughts would do her no good and so in an attempt to distract herself she threw herself into her work, inhaling the familiar smell of alcohol as she cleaned the surfaces and tankards of her Uncle's tavern. She even found some time to visit Gertrude the town's healer who had taken to allowing Alyson to follow her around when she was a child and Gertrude, having recognised a deep curiosity in the girl had finally began to teach her the basics of healing and the uses of different plants.

This was something that Alyson greatly enjoyed and she loved to learn and she believed this was a way that she could contribute. It was while collecting some of the various plants and herbs for Gertrude, on the outskirts of Carvahall that Alyson suddenly felt the strong need to get back to the town. As she had grown one of the ways that Alyson's apparent ability had grown was to manifest feelings while she was awake and while they were often unclear and vague, there was one that occurred so often that Alyson knew exactly what it meant. Eragon was near and he was about to get into trouble.

Although Alyson was aware there was little she could do, Eragon always found trouble one way or another, she still felt duty bound as his friend to at least be there for him in the fall out. So she strode through Carvahall's streets, moving too quickly to hear the conversations taking place on the wide porches of the houses. Her eyes darted everywhere as she searched for any sign of Eragon's brown hair or his tall bow.

So intent was she in her search that Alyson didn't even notice Katrina until the two girls crashed into one another.

"Katrina I'm so sorry I didn't even see you." Alyson quickly said as she rushed to help the slightly older girl up from where she had fallen.

"No need to apologise Aly I also wasn't watching where I was going, excuse me I need to find Horst."

Before Katrina could rush off again Alyson stopped her and with concern for her asked, "Is everything alright?"

After a moments debate Katrina answered the girl she considered a friend, "It's my father, Eragon came into the shop to trade and now father's getting angry."

Alyson now understood why she had gotten her feeling earlier and immediately joined Katrina in her search for Horst the town's blacksmith as both girl's knew there wasn't much either could do against an angry Sloan.

While the Sloan wasn't overly fond of Alyson due to her friendship with Eragon he tolerated her because both Alyson and Katrina enjoyed the company of another girl their age. And Katrina knowing of Eragon's and Alyson's friendship didn't even think to question it when Alyson offered to help. With the two girls working together they were quick to locate Horst and explain the situation.

Horst was a large and strong man from years working in a forge, with his roughly trimmed beard and soot covered clothes he cut an intimidating figure but he was also a kind man and quickly agreed to help the girls, leading the way to the butchers shop with confident ease. If anyone could resolve the situation without violence it was Horst.

As Horst opened the door of the shop it looked to Alyson like Sloan and Eragon were close to blows. The sound caught the attention of the two arguing parties and they turned; Alyson catching the brief surprise on Eragon's face at seeing her there before his attention was quickly pulled back to Sloan.

When it became apparent that Katrina could not calm her father Horst resolved the issue by insisting that Sloan sell to him if he refuses to sell to Eragon. Alyson could see the anger on Sloan's face and thought for a moment that he would refuse, it brought a pliable wave of relief when he didn't.

When they left the shop Alyson turned to watch as Eragon finished thanking Horst. "But why did he explode like that? We've never been friendly but he's always taken our money and I've never seen him treat Katrina like that."

Horst shrugged "You should ask your Uncle, he knows more than I do about it."

"Another reason to get home then, here this is rightfully yours now." Eragon offered Horst the strange blue stone that had caused all this trouble.

Alyson didn't hear Horst refuse the stone or offer Eragon a bit of work at the forge as she was now distracted with trying to work out where she recognised that stone from and why it seemed so important to her. She was drawn out of her musings when Eragon stashed the stone back into his bag hiding it from view.

With her attention now back on her friend Alyson put on a stern face "Always getting into trouble aren't you Eragon?"

With enough tact to at least look guilty Eragon replied "Always showing up just in time to bale me out aren't you Aly."

Neither friend could keep up the façade for long and breaking into laughter the two moved to hug one another in greeting. They had been close since they toddlers and Alyson moved to Carvahall and so such public displays of their friendship weren't even noticed by the other townsfolk, while more reserved people would have frowned upon it, in Carvahall it was normal.

"Your hunt didn't go well then I take it?" Alyson asked as she pulled away.

"No." the frustration in Eragon's tone was clear, "I was so close Aly my arrow missed by an inch I would have felled that deer if this stone hadn't just appeared."

"Wait, appeared, as in, _magic?"_ even though the pair had begun walking and the likelihood of being over heard was small Alyson still whispered this last word in alarm.

"Yes there was a bright light and the ground was charred as if there had been a fire but it all happened in the span of a few seconds." While Eragon was confused about this and wanted answers when he looked up at his friend he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and became concerned. "Aly have you been sleeping?"

"Huh" looking up the thoughtful frown fell from Alyson's face as she registered Eragon's question. "Oh that …"

Alyson went on to describe to Eragon what she could remember of her dream and when they both realised that the dream and the appearance of the stone happened on the same night they agreed that something strange was indeed happening.

They continued to talk until they reached the outskirts of the town and Eragon turned to say goodbye to his friend.

"We'll be coming up to town when the traders arrive but I'll try and get back before then."

Alyson shook her head "I don't think you'll be able to Eragon, there's a storm coming soon and I think you, Garrow and Roran will need to focus on the farm."

Trusting in his friend Eragon simply nodded and promised to be careful. The two friends then said goodbye and parted ways Eragon to his home and Alyson to deliver Gertrude's herbs both with their minds focused on the strange and mysterious events that were occurring.

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 **Please review,if you like it let me know and I'll keep writing, if you spot any spelling or grammar mistakes let me know I appreciate any constructive criticism as I'm always looking to improve.**


	4. Chapter 4 Stories of Rebels and Dragons

**Disclaimer: The story of Eragon and all characters belong to the author (Christopher Paolini) the only character I own is my OC, Alyson.**

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Nine days after the incident at Sloan's butcher's shop and the storm that Alyson predicated had come rolling in; the blizzard that came over the mountains covered the landscape in great sheets of snow; from the little town it looked as though the whole world had been painted white. Shutters were closed and blankets put at doors to keep out the worst of the chill but the winds were strong and rattled the houses none the less.

While Alyson was confident in the protection the tavern provided she still worried for many others. Many of Carvahall's people farmed for a living, which necessitated going out to care for animals even in such treacherous, still it was a risk that had to be taken.

It took a few days, but as they always do, the storm passed. Unlike those who worked on farms the business of the tavern actually increased during the cold weather; people looking for a warm place to sit and talk to friends would often migrate to the tavern so it was the perfect place to hear about any new news from the townspeople.

As Alyson moved around the tables collecting mugs and wiping tables she kept half an ear on the conversations taking place all around her. There was a serious tone in everyone's voice. The traders were already very late this year and with the weather taking such a horrible turn people were worried that they simply wouldn't come.

"What do you think about it?"

The gruff voice surprised Alyson, not expecting anyone to address her beyond a polite hello. Spinning around she identified the owner of the voice. It was Brom. The old man had made himself comfortable in one of the chairs nearest the fire place; his white beard neat as always he had a nearly empty mug of beer in his hand and though she was sure the question had been directed to her, Brom was not looking at Alyson. His intelligent eyes calmly viewing the other patrons and there was a glint in his eyes that seemed to say I know something you don't.

When her heart rate finally returned to normal Alyson realised she hadn't answered his question.

"What do I think about what Brom?"

"What else girl, the traders, it's all anyone around here seems to care about." Brom had finally turned to look at her and while his words were blunt his expression wasn't unkind; he had a look of casual curiosity however it gave Alyson the impression that she was being tested and that how she answered was very important.

"I'm fairly certain that the traders will pass through this year as they always do, they're merely a little late."

"Only _fairly_ certain my girl?" Brom now wore an amused expression as if remembering some private joke.

Brom had always been slightly odd in the town, generally keeping to himself, questioning everything and seeming to know things no one else did. This made a lot of people uncomfortable, despite this Alyson liked Brom and didn't mind his quirks so she returned Brom's slight smile easily before replying.

"Well none of us can be truly certain of anything can we, would you like another drink Brom?"

Brom's only response was to chuckle under his breath and hand her his glass. As Alyson walked back to the bar she also had a small laugh at the irony of her answer, for just the night before she had dreamed of the traders arrival and over the years she had come to whole heartedly trust her dreams so in her mind she was truly certain that the traders would come this year. Beyond that she had no idea never the less she knew they would come.

Soon enough Alyson was proven right when the traders' long caravan of wagons rode past Carvahall to set up their tents in a nearby field.

The colourful tents created a striking contrast with the white snow; the bright materials, the music and mouth-watering smells brought with them a welcome change to Carvahall lifting everyone's spirits. The steady stream of people flowing from the town to the field made the town's population feel much larger than it was. Despite this Alyson noted a change in the traders from what she remembered of last year. Previously the traders had always seemed so free, full of joy and laughed freely; yet this year they seemed more reserved. Men carried swords openly, the children never strayed too far and Alyson even thought she caught a glimpse a dagger on one of the women.

Something had changed and it was just another thing to add to the list of mysteries happening at the moment.

As she was browsing the different stands, Alyson caught sight of Garrow and Eragon steadily making their way through the tents. She easily recognised their destination as being the tent of Merlock, a trader who specialised in jewellery and precious gems, this lead her to the conclusion that they must be trying to sell the stone or at least discover its worth.

Knowing this Alyson continued to brows buying bits of material and herbs not readily available in Carvahall before making her way back to the tavern to store her things and get warm.

Returning from her room Alyson entered the tavern to see Morn and Eragon talking, she joined them just as Eragon asked, "Who are they?" he gestured to two traders.

"Grain buyers. They brought everyone's seed at ridiculously low prices, and now they're telling wild stories, expecting everyone to believe them."

The two teens could understand Morn's irritation as they knew that people needed that money to survive.

After Morn told the two that they were stories of the Varden it piqued the interest of the friends and they moved closer to hear what was being said.

The two traders seemed to be the polar opposites of one another, the closest having a girth so wild he was spilling out of his chair and Alyson worried that it wouldn't hold his weight. The second was far thinner almost gaunt made to look even more ridiculous by the large and gaudy jewellery that adorned his body.

The two spoke of the tyrant king Galbatorix as though he were some kind of saint "No, no, you don't understand it is only through the king's unceasing efforts on your behalf that you are able to argue with us in safety…"

The two traders were becoming frustrated with the group's disbelief at their stories of Urgals and the king's efforts to protect them the first trader releasing a tired sigh but he continued his speech on how the Varden had no interest in helping anyone and that this was merely a falsehood perpetrated by traitor to spread disorder in the empire.

Alyson could see Eragon becoming frustrated and so moved him away from the dispute before he could get too involved as they stepped out into the cool air Eragon turned to face Alyson.

"What do you think Aly? I've no love for the empire but I don't know what to think about the Varden."

"I don't know Eragon, we both know the Varden are no friends of the empire but beyond that they are a mystery, I mean no even knows who their leader is or where they are." After a moment's hesitation Alyson continued, "However when they were speaking of Urgals I got this sinking feeling in my stomach. I'm worried there may be some truth in what they were saying about those dangers."

Eragon could see the fear on his friends face and as much as he wanted to comfort her he knew that lying to her wouldn't help and so he recounted his conversation with Merlock to her and how he had also spoken about Urgal attacks.

"But Carvahall is small and surrounded by the Spine its unlikely Urgals would come here." Eragon finished hoping to ease Alyson's worries somewhat.

Alyson knew what her friend was doing and appreciated the effort despite her still growing fears.

Turning the pair noticed Roran and Katrina standing in an ally. Roran said something that the pair couldn't hear but they saw Karina answer before quickly kissing Roran's cheek and turning to leave.

"Having a good time?" Eragon teased his cousin

The trio spoke of the day's events as they waited until it was dark enough for the troubadours to perform.

Alyson loved watching the performances and was always a little envious of the troubadours and the minstrels as she knew that were she to try and sing as they did many would return quickly to the safety of their homes.

The first of the performances were always pure entertainment full of jokes and over the top characters, however as the evening drew on and the night got darker, the old storyteller Brom stepped forward.

Brom's voice was enticing and hypnotic as he told the story of the dragon riders, of how Galbatorix had fallen mad after the death of his Dragon and how he had used dark and evil practices to rise to power. As he spoke Alyson could almost picture the battles taking place as mighty dragons clashed in the sky.

It saddened Alyson to think of such death and destruction yet at the same time Alyson didn't want Brom to stop as she wanted to know more about the dragons and their riders.

But stop he did and Brom departed leaving an eyrie silence as he did. Garrow turned to Roran, Eragon and Alyson and said, "Consider yourselves lucky. I've only heard this tale twice in my life. If the Empire knew Brom had told it, they would kill him."

With that Eragon and his family prepared to return home as the two boys were packing the wagon they had brought Garrow turned to Alyson and reminded her that she was always welcome at his farm and not to be a stranger.

Alyson smiled and bid them goodbye before heading off to bed. That night Alyson dreamed of dragons and dragon eggs not realising that the fate of her and her friend was about to be changed for ever.

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 **Please review,if you like it let me know and I'll keep writing, if you spot any spelling or grammar mistakes let me know I appreciate any constructive criticism as I'm always looking to improve.**


	5. Chapter 5 The Present and the Past

**Disclaimer: The story of Eragon and all characters belong to the author (Christopher Paolini) the only character I own is my OC, Alyson.**

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Cracks forming along the blue stone. A squeak. Eragon moving towards it. Bright light. Pain. As the dream took place Alyson felt that she was watching everything through a thick fog. She wanted to call out, but knew that it would be useless. She'd knew what the fog meant what she was seeing, was happening now. This kind of dream had happened before.

Alyson remembered being a little girl and having a foggy dream in which Horst was working in his forge and had tripped on scrap metal badly burning his arm.

At the time she had been confused normally when she dreamed the images, while never easy to interpret, were clear not blurred, and they didn't normally have such a certain end. For example she was far more used to seeing someone almost trip or bump into someone else and then the dreams would cut off; as though the accident could be stopped, and sometimes… it was.

When she was a child the day after her dream she'd rushed to see Horst, and seen Elain re-bandaging his arm to cover a very nasty looking burn.

It was after talking with Eragon that they thought that maybe if the dream was foggy it meant that she was seeing something that was happening right then, not something that was going to happen, and over the years this theory was yet to be proven wrong.

As Alyson's dream of Eragon and the egg faded her mind presented her with a new dream, not one of the present or the future; this dream came from Alyson's memory, from before she came to Carvahall.

Alyson had only been three years old when she came to Carvahall, so she remembered little of where she had lived before, it was mostly just fragments. Yet this dream was the clearest memory she'd ever had.

She was sat in a blue dress in what looked like a cave but it was very well decorated with beautiful material draped over the walls. In front of Alyson was a random collection of toys for her to play with. As she looked up she saw the back of her mother, none of her memories showed her mother's face, blocking Alyson's sight of the man she was talking too.

To Alyson's young ears the words being spoken didn't make much sense but from their tone she could tell whatever they were talking about was serious. Her mother's arms were moving about quickly as if to give her words greater emphasis; to Alyson it looked as if her mother was upset and so naturally went to move towards her, but she was stopped by another girl.

This girl looked to be only a few years older than Alyson, still only a child like her, her dark skin contrasting strongly to the pale colour of her dress and while sixteen year old Alyson could not remember her name, child Alyson recognised her as her friend and so when she went to pick her up Alyson didn't fight her.

"No Aly we have to let the grow ups talk then you can go over ok." The girl said to her.

Little Alyson pulled a confused and annoyed face but nodded anyway, she could hug her mother later to make her feel better.

The dream ended here and Alyson opened her eyes to see pale strips of morning light filtering through her window.

Dreams like this always left Alyson with a burning curiosity, where did she come from? What did her mother look like? And who were the other people in her dream?

She knew her Uncle didn't like talking about her mother, when she'd had the courage to ask all he would tell her was that a traveller had brought her to Carvahall, with a letter, asking Morn to care for her and her mother's ring to prove her identity. A ring which now hung permanently around Alyson's neck, made of a simple purple stone wrapped in wire that Morn said her mother had owned for as long as he could remember.

It was this similar past that had led to her friendship with Eragon, both left in the care of their Uncle's by their mothers and neither knowing who their fathers were.

Moving from her bed Alyson began to start her day hoping that if she did her work well she could convince her Uncle to allow her to go to Garrow's farm soon, as while her second dream left her curious, she had not forgotten the first.

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 **Please review,if you like it let me know and I'll keep writing, if you spot any spelling or grammar mistakes let me know I appreciate any constructive criticism as I'm always looking to improve.**


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